Sisters in style

Actually, quite a lot – as anyone who has ever started a business, a band or had a baby can attest.

Sister design duo Beth and Tess MacGraw know this better than most, having spent more than two decades with the arduous task of choosing a name for the fashion label they finally founded in 2012.

“We tried to think of a name for over 20 years,” says Tess MacGraw, “which gives you an idea of how long we’d been planning to do this.

"Starting a label has always been something we knew we wanted to do together, even when we were growing up.”

That the eventual winner, a lowercase spelling of their family name, also conjures the relaxed style and wide-eyed innocence of ‘70s film ingénue Ali MacGraw seems particularly apt given the soft tailoring, romantic silhouettes and easy separates that have seen the label carve out a dedicated following in Australia and abroad.

Above: Macgraw designs from the collection 'Shepherdess' on the runway at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia in March this year.

Their last collection made this connection explicit by taking its name from Love Story, Arthur Hiller's 1970 ode to young love starring Ali MacGraw.

“The ‘60s and ‘70s are getting referenced in fashion a lot at the moment but I think that’s something we’ve always done,” says Beth of the label’s signature aesthetic.

“We definitely look to those eras, but with a modern eye. We don’t want to be too literal…We do always have a rock and roll element as well. Effortless with a polish is what we like to call it.”

It’s clearly a winning combination. After making their Mercedes Benz Australian Fashion Week debut in 2014, the label has gone from strength to strength, earning the sisters a place in the finals of 2015 Tiffany & Co. National Designer Award and BT Emerging Designer Award.

“Since then, doors have just opened,” says Beth, who previously worked in fashion and beauty PR while Tess cut her teeth in fashion retail and buying.

Above: Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw in 'Love Story', 1970.

“You always want things to happen faster, but we’re really happy with how things are tracking this year" - and with good reason, too.

In addition to a slew of respected local stockists, macgraw has been picked up by Moda Operandi, Otte NYC and Avenue 32 UK, opening up a global market.

As for living and working with your sibling?

“There are times when it’s stressful and you’re spending a lot of time together that you do need breaks, but not as much as you would think, honestly,” says Beth.

“We’re a rare little sister relationship.”

And if they ever do come to blows over designs, these two know better than most that love means never having to say you’re sorry.

Watch Beth and Tess answer questions about each other in the video below to discover which sister is the calm one and who would win in a rap battle.